Events
2025 Town Hall
Polarization: What Should We Do About It?
Curious? Please join us and check it out. Perhaps you’ll want your city to become a Sibling City!
All of America seems to be talking about polarization in our country.
But most of America is not talking across our polarizing divides. At Sibling Cities USA, we bridge divides.
In fact, we were feeling such strong forces pulling at the seams of our democracy that we planned a Town Hall on “Polarization: What Should We Do About It?” before the recent esclation of political violence that has shaken our nation. Now, we are even more determined to help Americans figure out what to do next about polarization.
Please join us on Sunday, October 26, 4-6 pm ET/1-3 pm PT for an online conversation where Americans will think together about the America they want to live in, and create an action plan to get there. During the town hall, we’ll ask questions that look forward, such as:
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What does the America that you want to see look like?
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What are your fears and concerns if polarization goes unchecked?
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What should we do about today’s polarization – what do you personally want to do about it?
For the last two years, residents of Palo Alto, CA and Bloomington, IN have been holding hybrid town halls where residents gather in each city and the two groups connect virtually across the miles for frank, respectful and insightful conversations on significant issues like housing, climate, voter turnout, and more. This year the Polarization town hall will be online, so that ALL can join the conversation, from anywhere in the country.
Fall 2024 Town Halls!
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SERIES SPONSORS
Master Bridge Builders ($1,000 and up)
Stanford University
Dialogue Leaders ($500-$999)
Rotary Club of Palo Alto/University
Political and Community Engagement (PACE) program, Indiana University
Pat and Tom Sanders
Friendship Facilitators ($100)
Housing: A Home for All?
Embarcadero Media Group/Palo Alto Weekly
Aram James
Democracy: Voter Access and Turnout
Friends of Rotary
Aram James
In-Kind Donors
City of Bloomington, IN
City of Palo Alto, CA
Braver Angels, Bloomington and Palo Alto
League of Women Voters, Bloomington and Palo Alto
Monroe County Public Library, IN
Rotary Clubs of Bloomington and Palo Alto/University
Second Aniversary Celebration!
June 2024
2023 Fall Town Hall Series
Town Hall Sponsors
SERIES SPONSORS
Master Bridge Builders ($1,000 and up)
Laurie and Michael McRobbie
Jane and Patrick Martin
Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce
Dialogue Leaders ($500-$999)
Mayor John Hamilton
Terry Godfrey
Rotary Club of Palo Alto/University
Political and Community Engagement (PACE) program, Indiana University
In-Kind Donors
City of Bloomington, IN
City of Palo Alto, CA
Community Access Television Services (CATS)
Hobee's California Restaurants
League of Women Voters of Palo Alto
Bridging Regional Divides Sponsors
Conversation Convenors ($250)
Rotary Club of Palo Alto
Bloomington Rotary Club
Friendship Facilitators ($100)
Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce
Race and Belonging Sponsors
Conversation Convenors ($250)
Silicon Valley NAACP
City Councilor Jim Sims & Mrs. Doris Sims
Friendship Facilitators ($100)
Lily Chiu
Joan Fantazia
Aram James
Climate Action Sponsors
Friendship Facilitators ($100)
Bloom Magazine
Palo Alto Weekly
Talk by Douglas Hofstadter
Douglas R. Hofstadter, Professor of Cognitive Science and Comparative Literature at Indiana University, will share thoughts on the first two Sibling Cities. He knows them well, having spent most of his childhood in Palo Alto and most of his adulthood in Bloomington. His Pulitzer-prize-winning book Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, has had a considerable impact on people in many disciplines, ranging from philosophy to mathematics, artificial intelligence, music, and beyond.
Click on your city below to learn more from the library hosts:
Civil Discourse Launch
In February 2023, Sibling Cities launched its Civil Discourse program. The kick-off included mayors of inaugural cities Bloomington, IN, and Palo Alto, CA , along with Living Room Conversations Co-Founder Joan Blades and former IU President & Stanford Dean Tom Ehrlich.
Both Town Halls and small group discussions using the Living Room Conversations platform will be held among residents of the two cities during the next year. Some kickoff attendeees participated in the first Living Room Conversations event afterward, and the response was enthusiastic! You can hear from participants and watch the Launch Event below.
First-Ever City Pair Kickoff!
“In this moment to have a group of mayors and cities and citizens come together and decide that we want to recognize ourselves institutionally and civilly as siblings, this is something to be excited about, something to rejoice in, and certainly lend support to.”
TARA VANDERVEER
Indiana University alumna and Stanford
Women's Basketball Head Coach
“As a coach, one of the things that I really feel is the most important part of our team is the fact that we have a sisterhood, so if we can encourage sisterhood between Palo Alto and Bloomington I think that would be a great service.”
CORNELL WILLIAM BROOKS
Former NAACP President and professor
at Harvard University
GUEST SPEAKERS
On 15, February 2022, the mayors of Bloomington, IN and Palo Alto, CA entered the first ever Sibling Cities agreement during a launch celebration. Former NAACP President Cornell William Brooks and Stanford Womens Basketball Head Coach Tara VanDerveer were featured speakers. You can watch the video of the event below!
